My favorite mamas
We all know Claire Huxtable and Roseanne Conner are pretty fantastic big mamas of the small screen, but who will make my list of dream moms? Linda Belcher of Bob’s Burgers If I could only pick one TV mama to be my very own, it would have to be Linda Belcher. With big flippy hair, … Continue reading
Leslie getting married
I’ve written before about how much I love Parks and Recreation — the characters, the writing — but I haven’t been too happy with this season’s trajectory. Though I am pleased with the progression of Chris Traeger’s character and the manner in which his obsessive traits have been seriously examined, the current portrayal of Leslie … Continue reading
Nick Offerman: American ham
Many of us know Nick Offerman as the straightforward, bacon-eating, curmudgeon, Ron Swanson, of NBC’s Parks and Recreation. He’s made quite a name for himself there playing the role of a strictly anti-government parks worker to deadpan perfection. Reaching the heights of pop cultural iconography, his Swansonisms sprawl across the internets and he’s won the … Continue reading
Will the real Louis CK please stand up?
Hosting Saturday Night Live was a big deal for Louis C.K. Sure, anyone who hosts at least seems to realize the import of their insertion soundly into popular culture through this practice, but I still imagine this experience was a little more stirring for someone like Louis. Unlike a trendy young starlet, quirky pro athlete, … Continue reading
The alien on my DVR
It probably says a lot about me that the first show I ever recorded with a DVR was ALF. No, not some new reboot. The original show from the 1980s. Yes, I now have access to a state of the art TV recording device, and I use it to record sitcom reruns. Don’t judge. Like … Continue reading
The Golden Child
Eddie Murphy has made plenty of odd films. But, at least his odd film of the 1980s was odd in an interesting way, not because he wore a fat suit. The Golden Child (1986) is odd, because it blends action, comedy, fantasy, and elements of Chinese mysticism. Sound familiar? Yes, Big Trouble in Little China … Continue reading
A talk radio host and the talking cure
When it comes to this, the greatest of seasons, that wonderful time in which we are gifted new television shows from the networks, writers, and actors, I expect to take the good with the bad. Pilots are pilots; they are rough and rusty little things, that are trying (often too hard) to get noticed when … Continue reading
Hudson Hawk (Yes, Hudson Hawk)
The range of my taste in film covers a wide area. If my tastes were represented by a country’s land area, it would be Russia. Despite my fiancée’s insistence that I don’t like any film made after 2000 — mainly because I had not watched Superbad until last week — I enjoy many different films. … Continue reading
Schumer humor
Amy Schumer’s first hour-long special, “Mostly Sex Stuff,” recently aired on Comedy Central. I’ve read some negative reviews claiming that she’s just another typical female comedian, oversexed, and too caught up in talking about dating, but I tend not to agree. One brilliant internet dude claims that we shouldn’t bother with Amy because if we’ve … Continue reading
Keeping it weird: A night with Maria Bamford
In her 2009 comedy album Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome, Maria Bamford prefaces a bit about aging with the following warning: “This joke might fall under the category of something only I enjoy.” This is one of those cases where it’s funny ‘cause it’s true. Though I find Bamford’s work hilarious, playful, darkly intelligent, and fun, I’ve … Continue reading
